The herald. [microfilm reel], December 11, 1894, Page 10, Image 11

About The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
10
DIDST EVER LIVE?
Plant ever live!
Didst ovel loot: into n half ope'd'flower
Aii'l note th' bounty wefflag forth
Until it filled yov.r soul's v,-Iklc world.
As will th* -wondrous northencli+yht,
Thrtt, flowing to tho zcnltli's,point.
Fulfills tho skies—a grand and glorious
maze*
Didst ever list a bird's sweet lay
Until the joy,
Pervading if,
Bceme<l part of your own inmost self?
Didst ever rb7.o into your true love's eyes
Until you dreamed of moonlit groves,
Bener.th some soft nnd southern sky,
Where you and site were all the world,
And nightingales with harps ISO it en vied
To reproduce in sound your erstasy?
Didst ever list tho organ's tones
Until It seemed
Tour sou! was bounding shore
Of some great sea of sound
And lay liko sands outstretched,
With great waves breaking o'er.
And then receding in a thousand purist
Didst ever watch the summer tempest pass
And drink the rolling notes
Until your spirit heat in unison
And gloried in the aoagf
Didst ever let your soul up leap
Into the starry sky
And try to mold the universe
tnro one thought sublime,
lud when it seemed the deed was done.
Seized by your carnal self,
Fall groveling back to earth?
Didst over live?
—M. Ruhtra Pel low.
A SEA MYSTERY.
In tho year lßfiO I sailed iv tbo ship
Sultan, a vessel of 780 tons burden,
from tho port of Liverpool, bound round
the Horn to Valparaiso with a valuablo
general cargo. The oaptain was a man
named Jonas Jortin. I, who went in
ber as chief mate, am named William
Fletcher.
Wo carried no second officer. Often
it happened in those days that oven big
ships sailed with what is termed an
"only mate," who was supposed to
comprise in himself all that was to bo
expected in the shape of duty and
knowledge from a first and second offi
cer.
As I, however, held no certificate as
"only mato," I signed as chief, and
tho boatswain, a man named Benjamin
Matthews, took tho working part of
second mate under me—that is, ho re
lieved me when my watch was up,
walked the decks nnd trimmed sail at
his discretion. Bnt ho took no part in
the navigation of tho ship. Indeed I
doubt if ho know what a sextant was, i
and I am not sure that ho could read or
write.
Captain Jortin wai a tall, lean, long
faced man, with so remarkable a fall of
chin that his mouth seemed to be placed
i'.lmost exactly in the middle of his
faco. His skin was yellow. Ho had fol
lowed the sea for many years, but the
flesh of his cheeks reflected nothing of
the glow and bronze of sun and weather.
His eyes wero of a dead black, liko
nn East Indian's, without animation in
their glance aud slow in tlieir motions.
I had been struck by the figure he
mad" when I first boarded the ship in
the docks. Nothing could less corre
spond with tho traditional notions of
tho old salt, with purplo nose and bow
legs, eyes deep sunk by peering to
windward and a stormy voice broken
by years of drink and bawling, than
this master of tho ship Sultan, button
ed up as he was in a coat of a clerical
cut, his black hair smeared smooth, as
though his head Was painted, limp, stick
np collnrs and long, square toed Wel
lington boots.
All went well with US till we had
gone clear of tho northeast trade wind
and struck the "humbugging" paral
lels, ns they arc called, where you get
sheet calms with a wide oeoau white as
a level icefield, then faint drafts crawl
ing up in the direct line of the ship's
course, painting the burnished surface
With darkling shadows like huge marine
spiders creeping down from tho edgo of
the horizon. I think our latitude was
between t and 10 degrees north when
wbat I am going to toll yon about hap
pened.
It was iho second dog watch, tho
hour about half past 6. The ship's yards
were braced well forward, and she was
rippling along to the pressure of n three
knot breathing of air, coming hot as
steam from ont of toe glowing pavilions
oi' the west.
It was sickeninglyrlose, with the men
noe of an electric storm in a delicate
winking of violet dumb lightning away
Mown in the southeast, where the shad
ow of tiio night was gathering, with a
large star already trembling low down
over the sea right abeam.
A fiddle was going upon the forecas
tle head. A sailor was chanting B ditty
to the tune. Most of the ship's company
were listening, lounging about the cat
head and against the rail, pipes in
mouth. Their open shirts disclosed their
mossy breasts, their legs were bare to
the knee for tie', comfort of the cool
ness, and tlieir bedewed faces reflected
tho angry red in Iho west as though
every man had oiled himself.
The captain was walking aft alone,
measuring a space of the deck from
abreast uf the wheel and something for- ;
ward of tho misszon rigging. His gait
was that of a man in a funeral prooes-
Eion —stiff, solemn, self conscious.
He had not been on deck above half
nn hour, nnd in that time had not once
addressed me. Not indeed that there
was anything strange in this. Mates
und captains seldom converse at sea.
The master lives a life apart, and
this spirit of isolation possesses the
mates, insomuch tbat I havo met offi
cers who declared to mo that throughout
a round voyage running into a ooupleof
years thoy scarcely exchanged more
than routine sentences and message's of
duty wilh the shipmates aft from the
iirst hour of their getting their anchor
to tho final hour of their letting it go.
But even had Captain Jortin been so
ciably disposed he was not a sort of man
I could have got on wilh. No one with
the Weight of a grievous sin upon his
soul could be more melancholy and aus
tere, more abrupt and reserved.
Matthews, the boatswain, lln night ti >
explain the man by tolling me he had
heard beforo wo railed that he had lost
his wife and only daughter within a
weok after his return from his last voy- i
age, but tho captain never mentioned
the subject, nor could 1 satisfy myself
that there was any suggestion of mourn- :
ing in that, way cither iv his clothes or j
his behavior.
I hart charge of the ship this dog
watch and was standing at lho head of
the starboard poop hustler listening to
the music forward. Suddenly the stew
ard oame ont of the cabin under the
! cuddy front and looloed for a moan ent
' eagerly up at me with a white face.
I called down, "What is it?" inter
; preting his expression of fear into some
thing wrong. He came half way up the
ladder and said:
"Some one's been trying to scuttle
the ship, I think. 1 ran hear water run
ning in 'twixt the wall and tho lining
in the after cabin in the steerage. "
1 instantly rau aft and repeated tho
man's Statement to the captain. Ho
1 looked at me sti adfastlywith his grave,
' funeral black eyes and exclaimed in a
dull, slow way:
"Scuttle! Nonsense, sir! Who would
commit such a crime aboard this ship?
(io below with the steward and report
what yon hear and see. "
I was astonished by his cool reception
of a piece of news that, whether the
steward was mistaken or not, must be
charged with significance even iv the
lightest, most careless wliisper of it.
I straightway descended the compan
ion steps, and tho steward followed mo
by way of the cuddy front. Wo entered
the steerage, a part of the hold under
tha saloon or cabin dock. Four cabins
wero bnlkheaded off on either hand.
They were now used mainly aa itore
rooms. In their dayMhey had been stock
ed with passengers,.for the Sultan was
an old ship, and ICS years earlier than
the date of this story had not been with
out renown as a brisk, comfortable,
roomy "liner," with regular sailings
from Blaekwall for Australian ports.
Wo entered tho after cabin on tho
port side and stood listening. A small
heave of swell ran throngji the lightly
wrinkled sea. Sounds of the straining
of cargo in tho bold wra audible, and
you beard now and again the sudden
shock antl jar of the huge mddor turn
ing with the swell, then sharply arrest
ed by its gear. But there was no need
to hearken long.
In a minute or two I distinctly heard
a fountainlike miming of water. It was
nearly dark. 1 bade tho steward jump
for a light. He returned with a lantern,
and on throwing tho light against that
part of the lining or inner wall whence
the trickling noise proceeded I instant
ly discovered two auger holes neatly
plugged,
"Good mercy!" I shouted in a sud
den fright. "Tho ship has been holed
and will be sinking under our feet as
we stand here."
I told the steward to remain in the
cabin with the lantern and rushed on
deck, shouting for tbe carpenter to lay
aft. While Shirley was coming I re
ported what I had seen to the captain,
who stiffened himself with a dramatio
start of surprise.
Muttering in a low, solemn, preach
ing voice: "Is it possible? Who has
done such a thing?" ho went below with
more nlncrity than I had ever before
witnessed iv him.
I hastily explained the steward's dis
covery to the carpenter, who rushed
forward to his tool chest. He camo
along quickly with the boatswain, nnd
wo three went below, where we found
Hie captain in a listening posture, view
ing tho plngged holes by tho light of
the lantern he hold.
Tbe carpenter quickly whipped tho
plugs ont, and sure enough in tho outer
side or wall of the ship were two holes
through which the brine was gushing
with a diamondlike flash in the lantern
light as tho streams arched betwixt the
outer wall nnd the inner skin, slowly
filling the hold.
The hole:i wore promptly plugged and
the well sounded. Two feet of water
was made. Tho pumps wero manned
antl presently lucked, proving all tight
anil well with the auger holes.
Thero was an ominous growl of won
der and temper among tho men as they
plied tho brakes or stood near, waiting
to relieve tho pumping gang. Tho cap
tain called mo antl asked if I had amy
suspicion.
"None, sir,"l answered. "I cnn't
imagine any man aboard capable of so
diabolical a crime."
Ho took several turns, lost iv thought.
1 sco him now, pacing abreast of me,
skewered up in a sort of frock coat,
hands behind him, figure erect.
Tho dusk had gathered around. Tho
sky was full of brilliant stars, a hover
ing sheet of prisms ami crystals, with
a scar of young moon in the west and a
great play of lightning down upon our
port quarter. Hr. sently the captain stop
ped and addressed mo afresh, but our 1
talk led to no other conclusion than
this—that some ono aboard had at
tempted to SCUtile the ship.
All bands passed a very restless night.
Captain Jortin was incessantly up and
about. During the middle watoh, which
was mine, his shadowy figure was re
peatedly shaping itself out of the com
panion hutch nnd flitting in a ghostly
fashion about the deck.
i had some earnest conversation with
the boatswain and carpenter, but none
of us conld make head nor tail of this
piece of rascality nor in the dimmest
degree conjecture who was tho villain
who had attempted the atrocious act.
I went bf'Vw at eight bells—that is,
nt 4 o'clock in tho morning—tirst tak
ing care to go tho i muds of the after
part of the ship, very carefully looking
into each cabin and peering and listen
ing. Somehow I had a fancy that thero
might be a stowaway on board, intent
on a criminal purpose, in league, for all
1 knew, with somo one interested in the
vessel ■! ill fraud the underwriters. Boe
ing ami hearing nothing, I withdrew to
my berl !t ami turned in.
I slept soundly, and at 8 o'clock turn
ed out anil went on dock. The first per
son l met was the boatswain. Matthews.
fie said to me, "The captain seems to ,
havo made up his mind, sir."
"On what?"
"As to the man who's holed the ship. "
"Have they discovered him?"
' Jackson's in irons. That's all I can
say, sir," he answered, with a singular
expression of incredulity and temper in
his face.
Just then the captain came out of tho
cuddy, and Matthews went forward.
"Mr, Fletcher," said Captain Jortin,
beckoning roe to bim and speaking in a
loWi level, preaching voice, "wo shall
bo able to prove that Jackson's tho man
who attempted to scuttle tho ship.
"Indeed?" said I, vastly astonished.
Jackson was an able seaman in my
watch. I had always found him a re
■pcotable, willing, alert sailor.. "What
LOS ANGELES TTKR \LO TUESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 11, 1891
In that man lias excited your suspicion, |
sir?"
"I heard him muttering the other ;
day," said he, " when he was atwork on
■ sail stretched along this poop. Every I
time I passed he glanced askance at me ;
and muttered. I don't liko the man's
looks. He has a hanging face. Then
again yesterday afternoon he was oil
served to go forward as though ho was
just come out of tho cuddy."
"Who saw this, sir?"
"It's so, " he answered abruptly with
a short, spiritless stare at mo and then
stepped to tho binnacle, In the course of
that morning I asked the steward if it ,
was true (lie man Jackson had been seen
to walk out of tho cuddy. He answered
that, happening to come up through the
steerage hatch, OB had seen Jackson go- ,
ing forward close from tho cuddy front
as though the man had just stepped
from the cuddy itself.
"Well, but," said I, "you were in the
steerage, and had he been there with
an auger you'd have seen him, wouldn't
yon:''
"I don't think it was him that did
it," said tho ninn.
I looked hard him, for, to be sure, if
the thing was not, the work of a stow
away—of some one hidden in tho steer
age—it must at least bo the act uf a per
son living aft with access without sus
picion to the cabins.
Well, nothing happened for three
days after this. Then, as I well remem
ber, it being a very beautiful, glowing
forenoon watch, the wind a light breeze
right aft, and tbe ship swaying upon
ihe delicate pulse of swell with scarce
more than steerage way on her, the car
penter came from the puyjps, where lie
had been sounding the well, and stand
ing under the break of the poop, with
the Bounding rod in his hand, called np
to me:
"There's three foot of water in tho
hold, sir I"
Tho steward was on the main deck
when this was said and instantly ran
into tho cuddy. The captain was walk
ing aft. 1 bawled the news to him, and
added that if tho ship had not been
scuttled afresh she had sprung a leak.
He told mo to call the carpenter on to
the poop, and just then the steward,
white a* a sheet, came rushing up the
companion steps, crying out as he
sprang through the hatch that he could
hea.' the water running into the ship in
tho same cabin where the holes had be
fore been discovered.
Tho captain ran below as swiftly as
his stiff, angular figure would permit.
I and tho boatswain and carpenter and
steward followed. On entering the cabin
we immediately heard a loud noise of
cascading waters.
It was high morning, and thero was
plenty of light. This time the would be
seuttlerhad given himself as little trou
ble :;s possible. He had simply knocked
out th" plugs from the ship's side, leav
ing the holes iv tho skin open.
The carpi liter rushed forward for tools
and a broom handle to serve as plugs.
Once again the leal: was stopped, and,
as on the former occasion, on returning
on deck tho pumps wero manned and
the hold freed from water.
Hut now the sailors grumbled furi
ously. First they insisted on Jackson
being released, next on tho ship being
narrowly searched.
From 10 o'clock till four bells in the
afternoon watch we were employed in
overhauling the vessel. Wo probed every
nook and cranny of her from the fore
peak to the lazaret, diligently seeking
likewise for any signs of a hidden man
in tho steerage. All to no purpose. The
villain, whoever ho was, must certainly
be one of the ship's company.
For my part, 1 suspected the steward,
and so did Shirley, the carpenter. Mat
thews did not know what to think. Tho
captain stalked apart, gloomy and si
lent.
That evening in the first dog watch I
was in my cabin smoking a pipe, turn
ing over iv my mind some scheme for
protecting our lives by stationing a
watch day and night aft, and wonder
ing if Captain Jortin would sco his way
to somo arrangement of this sort, when
the award knocked on my cabin door
and walked in.
The fellow addressed me civilly, with
an air of reluctance and astonishment.
He said Captain Jortin had just given
him instructions to lock me up in my
cabin, where I was to consider myself
as under atrelt on suspicion of attempt
ing to scuttle tho ship. My meals would
be served regularly. "I'm sorry, sir,"
added tho fellow, "to have to do this
duty."
So saying, he closed and locked tho
door, and 1 heard him withdraw tho key.
I sprang from my bunk, put my pipe
down anil stood overwhelmed with sur
prise and consternation. To be merely
inapeoted of such a crime was to bo pro
fessionally ruined.
I thought tho captain must be mad to
lock me up without first charging me.
Why did not he confront me and accrue
nic in the pre,seneo of others and give
me a chance to prove my innocence?
Those holes had been bored by an nuger.
An auger is a tool not very readily con
cealed in a small cabin. Why bad not
tho captain caused my berth to be
searched?
Since I knew that I was an innocent
man 1 cannot express how great wero my
grief and wrath as I paced the deck of
my cabin that was now my orison, won
i, ring with a burning heart ami witii
throbbing brows who tho real offender
nonld be; whether it was indeed the
steward, as I now perhaps in my temper
was the more willing to suppose;
whether, if tho ship was actually sunk
under our feet, as was threatened by
tiio mysterious villain who had twice
subtly sought to drown her bold, tho
crew would remember that I lay a help-
It -s prisoner locked up in my berth?
I think It was about half past 8 when
the steward unlocked tho door and en
tered with a tray of food, some cold wa
ter and n few gills of rum in a pannikin.
Ho seemed very shy in his mannttt
and was for making haste. 1 bade him
tell the captain I was nn innocent man
and begged for an interview. He prom
ised to deliver my message.
"And 1 will ask you," saitl I, "to
remember should they sound tbe well
anil lind tho ship taking water that I
am locked HP here and helpless."
He said, "Aye, uye, sir," and left tho
cabin, turning and withdrawing tho
key as before.
Captain Jortin did not come near me.
All that night I lay awake. All next
day I awaited tt visit from him with
oonanmiUß impatience. Nobody camo to
me nut the steward, who thrice in tho
day brought me a meal.
On the evening of the third day of
my imprisonment I was startled out of
a nap by a disturbance in the cuddy out
side. I heard a tramp of feet and the
growling sound of seamou's voices. I
tit.night a mutiny had happened mid
listened with my heart boating hard in
my ears.
Presently my door was struck npon
aud the handle violently tried. Then
the voice of Matthews bawled for the
steward to bring tho key. In a few
minutes tho door was flung open.
Matthews stood in the tloorway. At
L ast two-thirds of the ship's company
were massed around about him.
"Come out, sir, " said the boatswain.
"We've discovered who's been trying
to sink tho ship. "
"Who?"
"As I livo to tell yer, it's the captain
himself!" cried Matthews, bringing his
right fist into the palm of his left hand
with a mighty report,
Half a dozen voices wanted to deliver
tho yarn at onco. I got it clearly from
the carpenter, but I was thunderstruck
while I listened.
Ha.lf an hour beforo this timo the
steward had observed tbo captain come
out of his berth and enter tho steerage.
Thero was something strange in his
walk and aspect. The Hush of the sun
set.was upon the skylight. Tho stoward
saw very plainly.
Tho captain conceab d something that
resembled a large parcel under the
breast of his coat. The steward resolved
to follow him, saw him go into the cabin
where the auger holes had been bored,
ami by tbo very faint light in that in
terior observed him produce an anger
from nnder his coat and apply the tool
to tho plugged orifices. Tho extraor
dinary part was that the motions of the
captain were thoso of an automaton.
The stoward fled on deck. The boat
swain was in charge of tbo ship. He
shouted to some of the crow to follow
him as witnesses, and they rolled iv a
body into the steerage, where they
found the captain coolly and mechan
ically boring away with his anger.
They seized him, and now it was they
discovered, so they said, that the man
was acting in his sleep.
This at least was the opinion of thoso
who witnessed his behavior when ho
was seized. Ho cried out like ono vio
lently awakened antl swore he did not
know where ho was nor what he was
doing. The men conveyed him to his
cabin, locking him up in it, and then
camo to me.
To end this singular experience, the
crew insisted upon my taking command
and practically forced mo to navigate
the vessel to Buenos Ayres. They would
not suffer mo to free the captain, who
they feared would serve them some dia
bolical trick if I gave him his liberty.
As for him, he solemnly declared over
antl over ag:iin to mo that ho knew not
what he had done, aud that he had a
trick of walking in his sleep.
On the arrival of tbo ship I went to
the British consul with my report, and
he thought proper to tako charge of
Captain Jortin with a view of sending
him to England in a British man-of-war
that was then lying at Buenos Ayres.
Tho consul shook his head whon I talk
ed of sleep walking. Ho said:
"Ho must havo brought the auger
aboard wilh him. It formed no part of
the carpenter's tool chest. Next tho
ship was scuttled in daylight. I cannot
somehow reconcile somnambulism with
sunshine."
It was to remain a mystery, however,
to tho end. I was detained at Buenos
Ayres by a number of onr men running,
and beforo tho ship sailed the news
came aboard that Captain Jortin had
been found dead in his bed. The doctors
found"that ho Lad died from apoplexy.
Thus tho mystery remains. It never
could bo shown that the unfortunate
man had any motive in scuttling tho
ship. Ho had no risk in ber, but his
command of her was a living to him,
nnd the foundering of tho vessel could
only have proved*an injury to himself.
Possibly madness was the true solu
tion, though it does not qnite explain,
to my satisfaction, why it was that he
went to sea with an auger in his cabin.
—W. Clark Kussell in Youth's Com
panion.
She Didn't Guess.
Like many other things, an alarm
clock is a good thing when confined to
its own sphere. But a young man who
lives in Tioga had an experience with
ouo tho other day which, to say the
least, was embarrassing. Being a heavy
sleeper, it was not uncommon for him
to miss his train to tho city iv tho
morning, so he resolved to invest in an
alarm clock. < 'ta-1 xperienro with it was
enough, and that occurred while he was
taking bis purchase l\pnie. Walking
through the (tain, ho chanced to sco a
certain young holy sitting in a seat, tho
other half of which was unoccupied.
The young man knelt* tho young lady—
in fact, he is said to have bail enter
tained serious hopes beforo tho alarm
got in its little work. Ho sat down be
side her, with his packago in his lap,
and smiled ins sweetest. She asked bim
what lie was taking homo, nnd ho play
ful Iv lad In ir guess. "Candy? Cigars?
Neckties?" No, it was none of theso.
Just as she was about to venture a
fourth guess there was a muffled sound
from the interior of the pacakge and
then a loud clang that resounded weird
ly through ihe ear. Tho young man
blushed, the young lady giggled, and
the passengers roared. It seemed as
though He- thing would never stop, and
ii didn't until the disgusted youth hurl
ed 1 to Hi' "tlt'-r end of tho car.—Phil
adelphia Record.
Mcho Verses.
F.clio ver.-es wero sometimes used ef
fectively for epigrams and squibs. Thus
a critic once wrote:
I'd fain praise your poem—but, tell me, how
is it -
When I cry out "exquisite," echo cries, "Quiz
It?"
And when, ill 1831, Paganini was
drawing crowds to tbe opera bouse al
extravagant prices, Tho Sunday Times
printed tho following Hues:
What are they v. ho pay throe guineas
To leal- n tnno of Peganini'st
Echo—Puck o' niniiicsl
—All tho Year Hound.
At School.
Teacher— Frita, name the beast that
supplies us with ham.
Fritz—The butcher!—Deutsche Warto.
OUR ONLY DAY.
W. re tliis our only day,
Did not out }•• ttordnys end morrows give
To hove and memoir their interplay.
How Should we benr to live?
Not merely what wo are,
Bnt what we were ami what wo nre to ba,
Make up our life, the near days each a star,
The far days nclmhc.
At once would love forget
Its keen pursuits nn.l coy delays of bliss
And ils delicious pangs of fond regret
Were thero no day but this.
And who, to win n friend,
Would 10 the secrets of his heart invite
A fellowship lli.tt should begin nnd end
Between S night antl nighty
—Oostee Kinney iv Cincinnati Tribune.
COWBOY AND CORSET.
"I jest wish yo' had never went to
Dallas. I wish yo'd staid hero on tho
ranch an kep' on a bein yer own self,
stead o' driftin off tho range to the.city
an a makin a play to bo a high toned
leddy. Yo' ain't liko yo' used to bo, Cas
sia "
There was a soowl on tho cowboy's
fnco as lie stood beforo Oassio Denton,
tho daughter of the owner of tho Texas
ranch at which ho was employed. The
faeo of the bright eyed little maiden
wore a paiired look as sho toyed with
tho buckskin wrist loop which depend
ed from tho handlo of the six shooter in
his belt
"1 knowed jest how it would bo," he
continued, "When yer pop got the no
tion into his brad that yo' must bo edi
cated an bo a leddy, I tol him it'd spilo
yo'. I tol him yo' never would bo tho
same gal no mo'; that yor little head'd
git turned thero among tho line stock,
an yo' wouldn't havo no mo' use fur
graded critters sich as tho riders o' the
ranges."
"But Bob, " tho girl interrupted, "I
am not changed in my feelings toward
you. I love you just as well as I did tho
day pop snid I could marry you, nnd ho
sent mo to school for two years just to
make mo fit to bo your wife. It was all
lor your sake, Bob, and it's real bad of
you to act so after I had studied so hard
to make of myself a lady worthy of such
a man as you. I know I'm not liko I
used to be. lam not rough and wild
liko I was once. I dress better, and I
talk better. It's refinement, Bob—that's
what Miss Bentley, the teacher, said,
and she said that a girl without refine
ment was just a wart on the face of so
ciety. That's jnst what she said, Bob,
in her own words, and I feel like cry
ing at tho way yon act."
"I'd a whole lot rather sco yo' a good
healthy wart on the faco o' society than
to see yo' a dabo' bright paint ou one o'
itscheoks, or a string o' no 'count beads
a-hangin 'bout its neck. Style is fur
them that lives in cities, t'assie, an is
jest as much out o' place in here on tho
ranch as a cheap herdin greaser'd bo
out o' place in glory. I'd never behov
ed it of yo', t'assie, thatyo'd como back
here with yer foretop curled up in a
bunch an a corset cinched round yo'.
I wouldn't, I sw'ar I wouldn't. No wo
man kin make a rancher a good wifo
that wears a fashion pack saddle an
bunches up her tuano like yours is bunch
ed. I moot git over the cnrl business in
time, but I ain't never goin to have no
wifo that'll cinch herself up so's sho
can't breatho below"—
With a scream of laughter tho girl
placed her hand over his mouth and
checked his further speech.
"Oh, Bob, Bob, you naughty boyl
Is it my poor little corset that has como
between us to ward off your love? Oh,
I must laugh, for it's really the funni
est thing I ever heard of! Why, Bob, I
could never live without a corset. It is
such a support and comfort, and you
know, you wicked boy, that my figure
is much prettier than it was before I
went to Dallas. Isn't it, now"
Sho placed her hands against her
waist and waltzed saucily around so
that he could inspect her neat form.
"No, 'taint. 'Taint frco an easy, liko
Ood intended it should bo. If he'd 'a'
wanted yo' pinched up likoyo' aro now,
hod 'a' built yo' that way. There'd bo
jest as much sonso in cinchin up cows
to niako 'em look purty. Yo'd laugh
yer eyes out to see a cow goin around
hero with corsets on, an, yo' hear me,
it's jest as ridiculous fnr a gal to do it.
I'm agoin to roundup the ranges fur a
gal 'at's got more savey than to wear
noh monstrous!ties, 'r else I never will
double up in matermony long as I livo.
Throw 'em away, Cassie, or yo' an me
won't bo nothin much to each other no
mo."
"Bob, I won't make a fool of myself
for a littlo senseless whim such as yours.
I'll wear what I please, and if it don't
exactly meet with your ideas of propri
ety you can go and roundup a girl
that 's willing to put up with your non
sense. "
Tho littlo girl Was angry now, and
with a spiteful flirt of her skirts sho
turned from him ami wont into tho
house. Her anger was liko a passing
summer cloud, and when in a fow mo
ments it had spent itself she ran to her
room, aud throwing herself on tho bed
burst into tears. Sho knew Bob Taylor
loved her dearly, and rough and unedu
cated as ho was sho almost worshiped
the handsome yonng cowboy. She would
gladly have gcusigned the offending ar
ticle of dress f o tho waters of tho Brazos,
whiob ran near the house, but sho could
not for a moment countenaneo such an
unreasonable Whim on Bob's part, and
with set teeth and clinched hands sho
vowed that if her lover took her to wifo
tho corset must) bo included in the in
ventory of her personal effects.
Days sped by, and Bob passed and re
passed her about the house seemingly as
oblivious of her presence as if sho wero
n thousand miles away. (July once did
he notico her, when, in maidenly des
peration at his coldness, sho asked:
"Ain't you never going to mako up,
Bob?"
"Not till yon skin off that infernal
pack saddle," was the surly reply.
Their lovers had been a fruitful nnd
never stale topic of conversation among
the pupils of Miss Doutloy'a select
school for girls in Dallas, and in all
thoir confidential chats Cassie had heard
at but onet ffeetive method of whipping
a recalcitrant lover back into the traces,
"Flirt with somo other follow." Her
only fear was that if sho should try the
experiment Bob might lose control of
his temper and shoot tho other fallow,
and as a result ho might bo locked up
ut a long time is a cueariets pi.son,
tid tho marriage bo necessarily post
i mcd until the misdemeanor was atoned
I ir. The judge might be a cruel moii
tter with no sympathy for young lovers
and might, send him into retirement for
fears, and she might become a wrinkled
ur caleimined oltl maid- beforo ho again
breathed tbo air of freedom.
That wonld bo terrible. But pshaw 1
Bob would never bo so foolish as to puff
nut a human light for one little girl in
a country lift rally running over with
the prettiest girls in America. Not ho.
Anyhow sho would risk it, nnd if Ben
Allison of the Diamond 0 ranch came
around and made eyes at her again, as
ho had dona on several occasions, sho
wonld enconroge him just the least bit,
antl then, when Bob recovered from the
tit of temporary insanity into which her
corset hat>throwu bim antl camo to her
in a penitent mood, sho would throw
herself into his dear arms and tell him
that sho never did, never Would and
never could love any one but him. Of
conrso ho would forgive her and kiss
her tears away, and the sun of love
would again burst forth and shino over
them with new and exquisite luster.
Ben Allison's heart became real un
ruly when at his next visit to the Den
ton ranch Cnssie met him with a welcom
ing smile, extended her pretty little hand
and permitted him to hold it quite a lit
tle while after ho had got through shak
ing it. After this gratifying reception
his visits increased in frequency, and
although, with great feminine tact, tho
girl kept his ardor w ithir. proper bounds
she did not repulse him, aud it soon be
came noised about among the riders of
the ruuges that "Ben was suro goin to
pitch a matermonial rope at Cassia Ben
ton, an the little thorerbred'd soon pack
his brand."
Bob noted all this, and bis heart was
filled with bitterness toward his sup
posed rival. He never cast tho look of
recognition upon Cassie, yet when ho
would see her moving about tho house
or corrals or galloping about the range
ou her pretty littlo pinto pony it bogan
to dawn upon him that her corsoted
form was indeed far neater than that
!of any girl on nil tho ranges of tho
| Brazes. After a time ho was ready to
swear that ho had never seen anything
one-hulf so handsome as that neat, grace
ful figure, and tho uucorsoted girls of
his acquaintance seemed almost fright
! ful in his eyes when he gazed upon thoir
j loose, dumpy forms. Ho began to harbor
j tho impression that ho had made a
very pronounced fool of himself, but
his stubborn nature asserted itself. Ho
had said tho corset must go, and go it
must.
"That's a way up on top gal sence
sho got back from Dallas, ain't she,
Bob?"' Allisou said to him one dny,
when they met in the corral of tho Don
ton ranch.
"Yo' don't want to make no funny
plays about that gal when I'm around,"
Bob hotly replied.
"I hain't never yit found out that it
makes any difference who's around or
who ain't aronud when I want to make
a talk play," retortod Allison.
"Somo things gits found out mighty
< sudden, Ben Allison, an this ain't goiu
Ito be fnr from ono of 'om. I want to
, tell yo' right now, an to holler it out,
plain, too, that yo' are a-nosin around
! this ranch too plenty o' late instead of
ridin yer own ranch, an I ain't ugoin
I to stand it no mo. "
"Mabbe you wouldn't mindtcllin mo
what business it is o' yours whar I
rido. Long as tho gal's throwed yo' to
ono side yo' ain't got no say as to other j
fellers pitohin a rope at hor. "
"Yer a liar when yo' say she's j
throwed me, an yo' know it, an yo'
want to hit the Diamond O trail right
now, or yo' an mo's agoin to bump to- i
gother pow'ful hard, .lost top that boss
o' yours an work him lively away from
here, or a calamity's agoin to occur
right quick."
"Yo' talk mighty bravo fur a castoff
shoe, Bob Taylor, an yo' can't begin 11 it)
bumpin business any too riuick to suit
me, yo' poor, worthless sneak."
That was tho limit. Tho two men,
their eyes blazing with anger, backed ]
away from each other, drawing their .
six shooters as they went. Tho guns |
were thrown into position for quick j
work just as a slight girlish form dart
ed around tho corner of tho adobe stablo
and sprung in front of Taylor. Alli
son's pistol rang out beforo ho noted tho
. presence of tho girl, and with a scream
of pain she fell fenseless to the ground.
Tho man Jtho had fired tho shot tied in
terror, and Bob bent over his wounded
darling, calling hor by tho most en
dearing names aud begging her to live
for his sake.
The form of the girl was borne into
j the house, and a doctor from Waco, j
who was fortunately there, attending a ]
cowboy who was down with tho break- j
bono fever, was called in.
"Is sho dead, doctor?" asked Bob in
tones of tho most pitiable agony.
"No, only stunned. Bali struck a
' corset steel and glanced off. Sho will be
! all right soon, but it was a closo cull,
]my boy, and sho undoubtedly saved
| your life."
Cassie soon recovered consciousness,
and with joy in his every tone Bob con
i fessod what a fool ho had boon aim
begged for forgiveness. Of course it was
! sweetly granted, and he dcclnred that
, tho marriage must take placo just us i
soon as sho became nblo to stunil beforo
tho minister.
"And can I wear my corset, dear?"
sho coyly asked.
"Wear what saved yo' fur me? Cas
sio, I wouldn't havo yo' throw that
away fur a million dollars. Yo' kin
wear two of 'em if yo' want to, an if yo' i
fay so I'll wear ouo myself."—Now
Yi.rk Telegram.
The Night Toilet.
Te - AJ — ..j .1 • , .
; If more attention wero given the night
toilet, rest would bo better, sleep swect
!er aud dreams plcasanter. A bath will
rout the nightmare, but it should be
taken nt least two hours after tho even- ;
| ing meal, in coo! waler and with no
more rubbing than ia uoedod for dry
! ing. The hot bath is good when thero is
inflammation, ns it "draws." Cold wit
ter is stimulating, and the reaction, may
induce Wakefulness. Ordinarily tho cool
Hip wil) 000 l the Wood, be tonic enough
to arrest wasting tissue, and prepare the
body for refreshing sleep.—Now York
Dispatch.
Tho Indian nsme of tho Bchnylkill
river was Mnnyunk; bMce the of
a Pennsylvania towp.
A. TRUTHFUL SAILOR.
RELATES THE EXPERIENCE IN WHICH
HE SWORE NEVER TO LIE.
Two s, n mm. Fnther imil Son, Swallowed
by a Shark, hut Until Were Keiioiied In
a Marvelous Manner —A li.ty That Wm
Ctirtalnly Very Hot.
"Have I ever seen a shark? Ask my
mate —him that's rowing that 'ero cou
plo out yonder. We were shipmates lo
gethor aboard tho Rajapootah India
man. His father, who is dead and gone
this 30 year or more, was carpenter
aboard of her.
"Well, one day wo wero becalmed on
the line, when, says young Bill—he was
young Bill then, him as I Just poirt tl
out to you—says he, 'I shall havo a
swim round for a oooler,' for, believe,
mo, tho sun was that hot wo had ta
throw buckets of water on the deck to
keep it from catching fire.
"In fact, a pig we killed the day
aforo wo hung aloft and roasted him in
tho sun, catching the gravy In a bucket,
and he was done beautifully.
"So in ho goes hoad first, with hia
clothes on, and me and his old man
looked over tho side just abaft tho fore
rigging to sco him come to the top of
tho wator again.
"But no Bill oould we see, and in
stead of him up camo a tremendous
shark, with his sides sticking out as if
ho had a cargo insido over and above
his regular bill of lading.
"It was thon ns clear to us as the
nose on our faces that poor Bill had
dived clear down his throat.
"The poor old man had a fit right
away, aud we carried him below and
pnt him in his hntumock and then ran
up on dock again in the hope that ws
should bo able to oatch the fellow.
"But it was nowhere to be seen, so
after watching somo time to no pur
pose wo went down below to see how
the old man was getting on, and to out
astonishment and sorrow we found his
body nearly cold and as stiff as the fly
ing jibboom.
"We sowed him up in his hammock,
putting tho grindstone that he used ta
grind his tools with inside to make it
sink aud Jaid tho body on a hatch, with
the uuiou jack spread over it for a pall.
"Then the skipper read the funeral
service, all of us standing round dread
fully rut up, mo especially, for young
Bill was my messmate, and I was very
fond of tho old man.
"As soon as tho skipper had finished
tho last words, which I shall never for
get, thoy was so solemn, the hatch was
tipped np, ami overboard the body went
with a splash, and all was over, at least
we thought so.
"But almost immediately afterward
up comes another shark, a bigger one,
it seemed, than the first.
"The boatswain at onoe ran for the
shark hook and baited it with a hunk of
pork and slung it over the stern, and it
was not many minutes aforo we had
him hooked and hauled on deck.
"Well, tho first thing we did was to
cut his tail off, for he was napping it
about so that it shook the ship from
Stem to stern, that wo were afraid it
would shake hor to pieoes.
"After wo had done that we thought
we heard a very strange noise inside of
him —a sort of grating sound, liko a boat
being dragged over a Bhingly beach.
"So we set to and out off hi 3 head
and then ripped him up, when, what
d'ye think? What should we see, to our
great astonishment and delight, but Bill
and his father sitting upright like two
Jonahs, tho youngster turning the grind •
stono aud the old man sharpening hia
knife, intending to cut their way out of
the creature's belly.
"You say I said the old man was
dead? Ploaso don't interrupt me, and
I'll tell you all about it.
"There's no doubt but what he seem
ed dead, but it was only his blood froze
with horror, and tho shark warmed him
to life again. What made him most un
comfortable, Bill said, was the slip
pervness aud topsy turvyness of the
placo, for there was no rest at all, for
one minute he was standing on his
head antl the next on his feet, and then
ho would bo tossed from one side to the
other, sometimes getting jammed be
tween tho ribs, and he wondered the
meal didn't disagree with tho fish itself.
"But at last came tho climax, and
Bill thought it was all over with him,
for down its throat was shot a heavy
body liko that of a sack of coal right
atoj) of him, nearly smothering him, so
that he had scarcely room to move or
breathe, and ho must have been some
time insensible, ho said, when he was
woke up with a loud roport.
"Ho thought for a moment the crea
ture had swallowed a powder barrel and
it had exploded, but it was only tho
bursting of the canvas shroud tho old
man was sowed up in, which had blown
up like a paper bag.
"The noise in its inside, Bill said,
must havo astonished the shark, for ho
again found himself standing upon his
head, so ho knew it was making for tho
Burfaoe, uud on reaching there it opened
its enormous jaws for air, when a flood
of light entered between tho rows of
teel h which enabled Bill on gaining his
feet to take stock of his lodgings, and
tho very first thing that ho saw was his
old father crawling out. from under tho
canvas liko a chick from its shell.
"Tho old man had caught sight of
tho grindstone and soon put it intu
working order, and on thu fish once
more coming to tho top and ag.-.iu ad
mitting light Bill at once saw wh\j
was in the wind, and they comment, !
business at once, when they wero star
tled by a sudden change in tho shark'i
movements, nnd soon they distinctly
heard the sound of human voices, and
thov kuow they were saved.
"Well, we all was so thankful r.t
their inirnculous 0.-;c:'.j<:t from tho jaw 3
of death that every m t Iter's son of ni*
on hoard took our sol,una affidavits tlvtt
we'd never tell a lie or anything of th.:l
kind again, and me and my mnto hat t
kept onr words ever since."—Clriev.:"
Times.
4
No l)i,»rreuc.o.
Mra. Bccoudwed—You uro so unltUa
my first husbuud.
Mr. S. — I hopo tliedifhr''iicoisin i..y
favor, my dear.
Mrs. S.—Oh, it is, very much.
Mr. ti —Thanks. What i : it?
Mrs. ii. — Sou'lou'ivc. —I|<o\iV> -1 Mer
cury.